US708004A - Mounting for whiffletrees. - Google Patents

Description

No. 700,004. Patented sept. 2,' |902. E. w. M. BMLEY.

MIIUNTING` FOR .WHIFFLETREES (Application med im. 10L 1901.)

(Nlulodel.)

Y Wtzsseis': Y l Inman-tor.' 6 Z5 QAM Edwin Wjlaz'ley,` Y Y A a WM 5% UNITED STATES PATENT 1 -OEEIGEL EDWIN. W. BAILEY, OF AMESBURY, MASSACHUSETTS.

MOUNTING FOR WHIFVFLETREES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 708,004, dated September 2, 1902.

Application filed October 16, 1901. Serial No. 78,816. (No model.) i

.To a/ZZ whom it muy concern.:

l Be it known that I, EDWIN W. M. BAILEY, acitizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Amesbury, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new andV useful Improvements in Mountings for Whiflietrees, of which the following is a specification.

My invention 'relates to improvements in a means for mounting the whiftletree of wagons upon the cross-bar or support, and has for its object the provision of such a device which shall be strong and durable and which shall permit the free turning of the whifiietree. In the devices ordinarily employed the cross-bar andone or two intermediate plates are traversed by a bolt which is fast in the whiiletree and turns in the cross -bar, the parts being retained in place by a nut at the lower side of the latter. It is found that in use the plates wear, and the bolt in turning wears the cross-bar and it soon becomes necessary to tighten up the nut to take up the play. This throws a strain upon the bolt, which gradually weakens it and frequently causes it to break, it being further weakened by the common practice of breaking down or upsetting some boltthreadsto prevent the nut from being loosened by the jar and the consequent diiiiculty in turning said nut when it is necessary to tighten it. Moreover, the plates are usually elongated in one direction and are unprotected at the meeting surfaces as they turn, gathering dust and dirt and causing friction and wear. My invention effectively overcomes these difficulties.

In the accompanying drawings,'Figure 1 is a side elevation of the central portion of a cross-bar and whiftletree connected by 011e form of my improved mounting, parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the plate attached to the whiftletree. Fig. 4 is a central vertical section thereof. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan-view of the plate attached to the cross-bar, and Fig. 6 is a central vertical section thereof.

Similar characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

^ The numerals'lO and 11 designate, respectively, the whiftletree of a wagon and its supporting cross-bar, which extends in the ordinary manner between the thills. To the cross.- bar is secured a metallicpplate 12, preferably circular in form and provided with a central` circular opening 13. This plate may be retained in place by any desired means, in the present instance by a plurality of screws 14, extending through openings 15, which are countersunk to receive the screw-heads. To assist the screws in holding the plate against lateral displacement, an annular projection 15' is provided at the outer or lower side, conveniently at the edge of the opening 13, this projection preferably having a reduced or sharpened outer edge, which may be readily forced into the wood. The projection is easily produced in the manufacture of the device by the use of a cutting-olf tool having an inclinedinstead of the usual square point. The opposite or upper face 15" of the plate may be plane and substantially parallel to the cross-bar. The whiftletree carries a second metallic plate 16 for coaction with the plate l2, the plate 16 also being preferably circular and being secured to the whiftletree by a 4plurality of retaining elements extending through openings 17. A portion of these elements, here shown as two in number, may be screws 18, takinginto the whiffietree,wl1ile two other elements may be rivet-s 19, extendin@ u through the whiiiletree and having.

their outer ends upset upon washers 20. The heads of all these securing elements are countersunk below the inner face 20 of the plate, which surface is substantially parallel to the face of the whiiiietree and contacts with the face 15" of the companion plate. all the securing elements lie whollyvwithin the circumference of the plates proper and are heldby the contact of the members against displacement.

At the center of the plate 16 is a preferably l circular opening 21, about which is an annular flange 22, fitting the opening 13, so that a late-ral bearing is furnished, about which the whiffletree turns, the inner surfaces 15 and 20 of the plates coperating to take any vertical pressure or thrust. From the outer edge of this plate depends an annular flange or skirt 23, extending down over the plate 12 Thus into close proximity to the surface of the cross-bar, effectively preventing the entrance of dust and dirt, which even if it finds its way between the cross-bar and the edge of the ange cannot rise between the plates. The space between the flanges 22 and 23 furnishes an annular recess, within which the plate 12 may be entirely received save its engaging projection 15', which causes the opposite outer faces to lie in close proximity to or in actual contact with the whililetree and cross-bar, respectively. These two members are therefore separated only by the thickness of the plate 1G. The upper surface of the plate 16 is provided with a central recess 24, which may be circular with a downwardly and inwardly inclined wall or countersunk, this recess lying partly, if necessary, within the material of the flange 22. Through the openings 13 and 21, with its head suitably formed to lie within the recess 24, extends a bolt 25, passingr downward through an opening 26 in the cross-bar and retained in place by a nut 27, abutting against the lower side thereof or against an interposed washer 28. The bolt is provided with means to prevent its rotation in the cross-bar, which may consist of lateral projections, here shown in the form of a squared portion 29. As the bolt is forced into place in assembling the elements the apexes of the angles of this squared portion are adapted to be forced into and firmly engage the cross-bar for the purpose just set forth. The maximum transverse dimension or diameter of the squared portion between opposite apexes is less than the circular opening in the plate 16, which therefore leaves this portion of the bolt, which serves to prevent its rotation, free from engagement with the plates or capable of turning therein before the mounting is applied to the Whiiiletree and cross-bar. It is evident that in use this throws the stress which arises from its maintenance in a relatively fixed position upon a part of the wagon structure which might be termed a primary member,7 and not upon a secondary member, which is secured in place by screws or the like, liable to work loose under the stress upon them. By this construction the integrity of the mounting is maintained without attention under long-continued use. It will be further seen that in operation the bolt and its nut remain stationary with relation to the wagon members and that there is therefore no tendency for the nut to loosen and no strain is brought upon the bolt save what slight amount is necessary to prevent the vertical separation of the plates. The Wear is taken entirely by metal surfaces which are strongly secured in place.

The device is neat and compact, the only part appearing besides the rivet-heads and the bolt end with its nut being the edge of a single plate, while the contact of this exposed plate with the elastic wood of which the whiffletree and cross-bar are formed renders the device practically dust-proof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination with a pair of members com prisinga whiftletree and its support, of an interposed plate secured to each, and a bolt serving to prevent the separation of the members passing through the plates and support and provided with means for preventing its rotation engaging said support, which means is free from such engagement with the plates and whiflletree.

2. The combination with a whifletree and its support, of an interposed plate secured to each and having a circular opening, and a bolt passing through the openings in the plates and being provided with a squared portion of less transverse dimension than the circular openings for engaging the support.

3. The combination with a pair of members comprising a whiilietree and its support,of an interposed plate provided with a recess and having its opposite outer faces each in close proximity to one of the members and being secured to one of them, a second plate secured to the other member and located Within the recess in the first plate, and a bolt passing through the plates and the support and having means for preventing its rotation engaging said support, which means is free from such engagement with the plates and whiftletree.

4. The combination with a pairof members comprising a whiiltletree and its support, of an interposed plate provided with a sharp ened projection adapted to be forced into engagement with one of the members, means for securing the plate to said member, and a bolt passing through the plate and at least one of the members.

5. The combination with a pair of members comprising a whiffletree and its support,of an interposed plate provided with a central opening and a reduced or sharpened projection surrounding said opening adapted to engage one of the members, means for securing the plate tosaid member, anda bolt passing through the opening in the plate and at least one of the members.

6. The combination with a pair of members comprising a whiiletree and its support, of a plate secured to one of the members provided with a recess on the side toward said member and a recess on the side toward the companion member, a plate secured to the companion member and situated Within the lastnamed recess, and a bolt extending through the plates having its head located entirely within the first-named recess and being provided with means for preventing its rotation engaging the support.

7. The combination with a pair of members comprising a Whiletree and its support, of a circular plate secured to one of the members provided with a recess on the side toward said IOO IOS

IIO

member andan annular recess on the side toward the companion` member,-an annular plate secured to the companion member and situated within the last-named recess, and a bolt extending through the plates having its head located entirely Within the plate-recess and being provided with means for preventing its rotation engaging the support.

8. The combination with a whiietree and its support, of a plate secured to said support, a coacting plate secured to the Whifiiet'ree provided with a skirt or iiangeextending down- Ward about the first-named plate and contacting at all times with the support, and a bolt passing through the plates and support.

9. The combination with a Whiflietree and its support, of a plate securedto said support, a coacting plate secured to the Whiiiietree provided with a skirt or ange extending doWnward about the first-named plate and'contacting with the support, and a bolt provided with a squared portion passing through the squared portion extending outside the plates Von the side toward the nut.

12. A mounting for Whiftletrees comprising a plate provided with a lcountersunk recess and an oppositely-placedannular recess'and being substantially equal in thickness tothe desired distance between the whifdetree and its support, an annular plate adapted to ocy cupy the recess in the iirst plate, and a bolt provided Vwith a squared portion passing through the plates and having its head situated in the countersunk recess.

13.- A mounting for whilletrees comprising a pair of coacting plates one of which is provided With a projection at its outer side adapted to beforced into the member to which'it may be secured, and a bolt passing through the plates and carrying a nut on the side at t which the projection is situated.

14. A mounting forwhiftletrees comprising a pair of coacting plates one of which is provided With an annular reduced or sharpened projection at its outer side adapted tobe forced into the member to which it may be f secured, and a bolt pass-ing through the plates and carrying a nut on the sideV at which the projection is situated. Y

Signed' by me at Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, this 9th day of October, 1901.

EDWIN W. M. BAILEY. Witnesses:

WALTER E. LOMBARD, SYLvANUs H. COBB.

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